| Title | : | Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror (Falcon Quinn, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0061728322 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780061728327 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 496 |
| Publication | : | First published July 29, 2009 |
Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror (Falcon Quinn, #1) Reviews
-
I wrote this book (with my middle school aged boys).
-
"Mengapa kita baru terlihat cantik hanya di hadapan orang lain? Tetapi, mengapa bagi diri sendiri kita justru terlihat mengerikan? Mengapa kita tidak bisa melihat diri kita sendiri sebagaimana orang lain memandang kita?" -hal. 187
Aku nggak nyangka akan suka banget sama judul yang ini. Mungkin faktor sudah lama gak baca novel fantasi yang beneran fantasi, kali ya.
Jadi ini bercerita tentang Falcon Quinn yang pada suatu hari menunggu bus sekolahnya tiba layaknya hari-hari yang lain, namun ketika dia menaiki bus itu keanehan mulai terjadi dan dia--dengan dua orang temannya--diturunkan di sebuah kastil megah yang ternyata adalah akademi untuk para monster. Dan dari situ "petualangan" akan dimulai.
Di sini aku suka banget yang pertama dengan unsur fantasinya yang menurutku sedikit refreshing dan menghibur dengan membawakan beberapa deskripsi-deskripsi atau penjelasan baru. Belum lagi mungkin karena settingnya di sebuah akademi, banyak istilah-istilah unik dan aneh yang dimasukkan ke dalam sini--layaknya novel fantasi pada umumnya.
Dan aku suka bagaimana di sini penulis mengangkat tema tentang monster, seperti vampir, zombie, dan lain-lain, yang lucunya sedang berada di sebuah akademi yang memang khusus untuk para monster. Namun keanehan terjadi karena Falcon tidak menemukan "monster" macam apa dirinya. Dan dia malah diduga sebagai Pengawal, yaitu makhluk yang tugasnya membantai monster ini karena dianggap merugikan.
Di sini aku juga suka bagaimana tokoh-tokohnya dijabarkan dan sifat dari masing-masing tokoh yang membuat ceritanya semakin menarik. Ada tokoh yang selalu berdiam diri, ada tokoh yang paranoid, ada tokoh yang puitis, ada tokoh yang nggak percaya adanya monster (padahal dia ada di akademi monster), dan masih banyak lagi!
Di beberapa part terutama di part menuju akhir banyak banget kejadian yang bikin ngakak lewat dialog-dialog antartokoh di sini. Dan nggak luput juga di sini ada bagian yang bikin nyesek dan terharu.
Aku juga suka dengan bagaimana unsur persahabatan atau pertemanan di sini juga tinggi. Benar-benar sebuah adventure yang menjunjung tinggi nilai persahabatan.
Kemudian untuk advanturenya sendiri di sini oke banget karena lumayan juga sih adegan actionnya itu. Yaitu peperangan yang meledak-ledak di sepertiga akhir bagian cerita ini.
Aduh pokoknya aku masih banyak lagi deh yang disuka dari judul yang ini.
Dan mungkin sedikit warning aja buat kamu yang kurang nyaman dengan deskripsi yang menyangkut binatang. Ya karena berhubung di sini setting tempatnya di Akademi Monster, yang mana tokoh-tokoh di sini juga monster yang nggak sedikit berbentuk binatang, sebut saja gurita atau belalang atau semacamnya. Jadi ya itu, di beberapa part ada narasi yang cukup menjijikan.
Akan tetapi aku puas dengan segala aspek di buku ini. Jadi makanya aku mau kasih 4,5 bintang buat novel ini. -
"Falcon is an angel... and he has chosen neither of us. Or, rather, that he has chosen both of us."
This quote is one of many interesting thoughts in the book Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror, a fantasy about a boy finding out who he is. This book is the first in a series that I love and highly respect.
Falcon Quinn is a boy that finds himself at a school that is purely made for monsters. As the story goes along, Falcon notices that the school isn't that much different from his normal life; he still can't find a place that fits exactly who he is. Falcon's largest enemies would most likely be himself and the school, both not helping him find out who he is. Falcon adventures everywhere to find where he belongs and eventually he ends up right back where he started. School. His whole school faces off in a battle basically for being who they are. I would say that the theme of the story is to be who you are despite how troublesome it may be.
In a child's perspective, most stories are just stories. They do not know that their stories could represent people or feelings and simply think that the stories are for entertainment. As the child's mind slowly develops, it learns more about the way author's present things and how the stories represent much more than just a character. For example, in Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror, The main character just goes through a sort of mission to help his friends and himself at the same time. To a child, what I just described would be their story. However, to a more matured mind, the story could mean a normal person surrounded by people they don't understand is trying to find out who they are. The author may have made it so that the main character was in a fantasy world, but many of the problems were ones that had a possibility of being related to. For example, not knowing who you are and where you'll fit in. The author also writes a poem under the name of Johnny Frankenstein, "Monsters not human but monsters people." It shows that the author wanted to show how some people that are labeled as monsters usually are not so.
I believe that the author's detail was that of a small writer. It was not bad for a children's book, but it could've used more detail in setting. I feel as though the author spent most of their time trying to build a plot rather than explain everything in detail, which I prefer. Basically, details were not horrible and were made up for by the amazing plot line.
I would would rate this book a 5 due to it's new way of making a story and how it did't follow the exact "Sent to a school to find out who they are" sort of plot. I believe that Falcon Quinn and his adventures are are perfect for any child, teenager or adult. I myself would like to reread this book when I'm an adult just to see what I will think of it then. I would recommend this book to anyone that liked the Harry Potter series. This book is a very good third to Harry Potter and will say many thought-provoking things. I put a quote in the front of my review and this quote made me think. It made me think that this whole book was not only about a boy that had troubles finding out who he is. It made me think that this book was also saying that angels aren't creatures of pure innocence and untouchable holiness. Angels are people that have seen the bad of the world, maybe have even been a part of it, and still choose to be good after. That is what I now believe an angel is and maybe the next reader of this book will find that just because someone is defined as a monster doesn't mean they are. -
If there’s one type of story that’s popular right now, it’s the one where special children go somewhere special to learn how to do special things. Two of the biggest franchises in the world share this common theme. Harry Potter sends children to a magical school to become witches and wizards. Percy Jackson sends demigod children to a special summer camp to learn how to control their powers. And now Jennifer Finley Boylan attempts to capitalize on this popular subject with Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror. Does she succeed? Well… no. Read on to find out why.
So, what is Falcon Quinn about? It takes place in our world, where monsters have been driven into hiding by pitchfork wielding mobs. Whenever a monster child comes of age, they are brought to Castle Grisleigh- the Academy for Monsters (such an imaginative name, right?). Titular character Falcon Quinn and his two friends, Max and Megan, are taken there against their will to be taught how to control their monstrous natures.
Let me get my main complaint with this book out of the way: I HATE THESE CHARACTERS! They are completely one dimensional, and very, very annoying. Falcon is your typical brooding main character, having such a mild personality that it’s almost nonexistent. Max is the six foot tall seventh grader with severe hyperactivity problems. Megan is the emo girl who hates everybody for being happier than she is. Their entire character is laid out in front of you the moment you meet them, leaving nothing to the imagination. Falcon sulks about how they have to go to school in the snow. Max hoots and hollers like he’s on a roller coaster. Megan pouts and wishes all three of them were dead. Characters you meet later on are no better. Pearl calls herself the chupacabra, but a more accurate term would be “loud mouthed Tinkerbell with a stinger.” She is overconfident, and never at a loss for words. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend not to like characters who plant their fists on their hips whenever they speak. There’s also Lincoln the nerdy werebear, who predictably tries to find the logical explanation for all the freaky crap going on around him. This story has an interesting concept, but it is absolutely ruined by these horrible characters.
The next thing I need to address is the school itself. While “The Academy for Monsters” is quite likely the most unoriginal name Boylan could have come up with, the name is the least of your problems. First of all, the school is a castle. Wow, Hogwarts much? Again, not that big a deal. The thing that really turned me off was the attitude of the school. The teachers are all portrayed as unsympathetic idiots. “Oh, you just got taken away from your parents and you have no idea where you are? That’s nice, get back in line.” They claim that they only want to teach the children how to control their monster instincts, which, according to Boylan, is a bad thing. Naturally, the children cry foul about this, claiming that the teachers are making them be who they don’t want to be. Conformity is bad, I am not who you want me to be, I want to live my own life, yadda yadda yadda. While I’m not one to oppose being who you want to be in life, the teacher’s make it clear that they only want to teach the students NOT TO EAT PEOPLE! Hardly a malicious goal, don’t you think? But according to the author, if a child wants to eat someone, they should have the right to eat someone.
Now, there is one thing I liked about this book, and that’s how Boylan makes fun of vampires. With our culture’s current obsession with the undead bloodsuckers, it would only be natural for them to be on top of the monster school’s popularity pyramid. The two we meet early on are total divas. I enjoyed the author poking fun at them like this, especially when one is identified, instead, as being a giant enchanted slug. Unfortunately, two humorous characters cannot save an otherwise horrible book.
I’ll be completely honest here: I only got a few chapters into the story. Why, might you ask, am I writing a review on it then? Perhaps it gets better later on. Maybe the characters get more depth further into the story. Maybe there’s a plot twist that would really grab my interest. While these are all entirely possible, I just don’t care enough to wait for them to happen. The beginning of the book is painful to read, and it failed to capture my imagination in the slightest. I shouldn’t have to endure lengthy sections of terrible writing just to get to the good parts- if there are any good parts at all. A more dedicated reader than me might be able to keep going, and may possibly be rewarded for it, but I just don’t care enough for the characters, the setting, or the story in general to continue wading through amateurish prose, and expecting me to do so is a bad move on the writer’s part. The entire book should be exciting and engaging, not just the later parts (and that’s assuming, again, that there are any good parts at all).
In the end, Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror had a decent idea. Children going to school to learn how to repress their violent natures instead of embracing them could have turned into a pretty cool story. Unfortunately, Boylan failed this attempt by filling the story with annoying characters with idiotic ideals. I really wanted to like it, but there’s nothing in it for me to like. If you’re able to look past these flaws better than I could, then perhaps you’ll find something to enjoy, but I wouldn’t recommend buying this book unless you find it for $5 or less in a bargain bin. -
Pengarang bernama Jennifer Finney Boylan ini dulunya adalah seorang pria bernama James Richard Boylan. So, apa yg dirasakan Falcon Quinn --yg terjebak dalam tubuh separuh monster dan separuh manusia-- kurang lebih menjelaskan hal-hal yg (mnrtku) pernah dialami pengarang.
Falcon selalu merasa dirinya tidak cocok berada di manapun, setiap org punya kelompok sendiri, punya teman dgn minat dan hobi yg sama. Bahkan di kalangan monster pun ia tdk memiliki tempat sama sekali krn ia tdk tahu ia termasuk monster yg mana : bukan vampir, frankenstein, zombie, ghoul, cyborg dan juga bukan manusia anjing, apalagi big foot (krn ia bertubuh kecil utk anak berusia 13 tahun). Dokter monster yg ahli sekalipun tdk bisa mengidentifikasi Falcon itu monster apa dan bahkan mereka tdk yakin lagi kalau Falcon itu sama seperti mereka, monster, walaupun ada beberapa keanehan khas monster dlm diri Falcon.
Mereka curiga kalau Falcon adalah bagian dari musuh bebuyutan mereka, yaitu Pengawal, sekelompok manusia yg bertekad utk membasmi monster-monster dari dunia ini. Jika Falcon bnr2 adalah Pengawal, maka dengan terpaksa para guru monsternya harus melenyapkannya sebelum Falcon menjadi ancaman mereka. Namun mereka memutuskan utk menunggu kemunculan wujud monster Falcon sebelum bertindak gegabah, tentunya dgn batas waktu yg ditentukan. (Pastinya kita bertanya-tanya, kok para monster begitu toleran soal nyawa ya, hehehe.)
Dan Falcon pun menjalani hidup barunya di sekolah monster di bawah pengawasan para guru monster, sambil diajari cara-cara berbaur dgn manusia, cara berpura-pura menjadi manusia agar tdk diburu Pengawal saat mereka lulus dari sekolah monster nanti. Nah, kira-kira Falcon itu yg mana, monster atau Pengawal?
Pada bab-bab awal, alurnya terasa luar biasa cepat, imo. Krn para remaja yg digiring ke sekolah monster dan dijejali dgn informasi bhw dirinya adalah monster punya kemampuan adaptasi dan penerimaan jati diri yg luar biasa cepat. Jadi, tdk akan ada drama di mana para anak-anak sulit menerima kenyataan bhw mereka ialah monster atau mencari cara utk kabur dari sekolah aneh berisi monster. Mereka malah senang menerima kenyataan bahwa mereka harus tinggal di sekolah itu selama bertahun-tahun. Dan bahkan mereka dgn cpt langsung berubah menjadi monster dan menyantap hidangan khas monster yg menjijikkan dgn lahap seakan-akan itu makanan terenak di dunia. Well, naluri menyingkirkan logika. :p
Tapi, alur cerita yg cepat sbnrnya lbh baik ketimbang alur yg lambat. ;p Novel lelucon, itulah yg kutangkap saat sedang separuh jalan membaca buku ini, bukan hal yg buruk, krn kurasa buku ini memang sengaja diperuntukkan bagi anak-anak, dan dengan gaya bahasa yg ringan dan dipenuhi dgn lelucon konyol, buku inipun bisa diselesaikan dgn cepat tanpa merasa bosan. Pendek kata, jika Anda sedang ingin membaca buku yg isinya tdk terlalu berat/suram/bikin depresi dan bisa mengusir stres, buku ini lumayan cocok untuk menjadi dunia tempat pikiran dan imajinasi Anda berkelana sejenak. :)
Lelucon yg paling kusukai adalah saat para Zombie (yg masih dlm wujud manusia) melakukan Zombie Snap dgn melantunkan semacam lagu hip hop atau puisi Zombie yg diikuti dgn jentikan jari secara serentak, dan hupla, mereka pun menjadi zombie, haha.
Ini dia salah satu puisi Zombie Snap.
Sebut aku ahli gizi, yang sedang berdiplomasi
Atau bilang dokter gigi, saat napas tak sedap,
Tapi monster dalam diri, menuntut agar kau mati
Nantikan serangan kami! Ini dia : Zombie Snap! -
Really?! Average rating in the high threes? Did it really get better in the second half? Book club declared this one a disaster. We wanted to like it, but it was just so badly cliched, weirdly bigoted, awkward, slow paced... I think I'm going to try to finish it before I bring it back to the library, but I'm feeling kind of masochistic about it.
-
Everyone needs a label, a category in which to fit. If you don't claim one for yourself, others will assign you one. Emos, goths, athletes, geeks, monsters, guardians . . . everyone has to fit in somewhere.
Right?
( . . . monsters?)
Falcon Quinn doesn't, though. He's never been part of any group, never been put into a category or stuck with a label. He doesn't fit; he's a misfit. And life is lonely when you're always an outsider. So when Falcon, with two classmates, gets whisked away by a magical school bus one morning and dumped in a strange castle, told he and his peers are not humans but monsters just beginning their lives at an academy for monsters, he thinks he's finally figured out why. He's never found a home with his human classmates because he was a monster, and now he's excited to have finally found a place he can fit in.
Except, as his new classmates start turning into zombies and vampires, elementals and minotaurs and more, Falcon stays the same. And he overhears the faculty saying he might not be a monster, that he might be something else that's a danger even to them and that they may need to eliminate him. Just what is Falcon and will he ever belong anywhere?
-----
"Why does everybody have to be so determined to kill each other? Falcon said. "Why is everyone so--"
"So mental?" said Quimby. He sighed, and the escaping air made his floating form sink in the air a little bit. "You got me, Falcon Quinn. Maybe because it's easier to have enemies than not to have them?"
"How is it easier?"
"If you don't hate people, you have to learn to like them," said Quimby. "And liking people? That's not easy. Believe me, the way people behave? There are times I wish I was back in that jar." -
Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror
By: Jennifer Finney Boylan
A Book Report By: Chase Pixley
Falcon Quinn always knew that he was different than other kids. Falcon’s father fell through the ice on Carrabec Pond while his mother didn’t want him. He seemed to belong nowhere at his middle school in Cold River, Maine and had two different colored eyes - one blue and one black.
It is the first day of spring during Falcon’s 7th grade year. After a close call on Carrabec Pond his normal morning bus, number 13, misses every stop besides it’s first (Falcon’s house) and brings Falcon and his neighbors Megan Crofton and Max Parsons to a place called Shadow Island. An island in the Bermuda Triangle, Shadow Island houses the Academy for Monsters, a place where young monsters learn to imitate humans. As the other students begin turning into monsters Falcon stays the same. He knows that he is different, but is Falcon Quinn really a monster?
A 5-star book, this story raises a question: is it better to pretend to be someone else to stay alive or accept who you really are, even if you are a literal monster? This heart wrenching story about a seemingly normal boy is truly a work of art. Look for it on book shelves starting May 11, 2010. -
Falcon Quinn and two neighbor kids board the school bus one morning and are whisked away to the Monster Academy, where they will discover their monster natures. Max finds out that he is actually a sasquatch, and Megan appears to be some sort of elemental. But no one is sure what Falcon might be. The teachers and nursing staff do all sorts of tests, but they can't find out what type of monster he is. All around him the other kids are turning into werewolves, zombies, vampires, and even a little tiny Chupacabra from Peru. But Falcon is a mystery.
I really liked Falcon's character. He has a complex personality as he tries to fit in somewhere at the Academy. He doesn't feel like a real monster, but he doesn't feel human either. He just doesn't seem to belong anywhere. I think we all feel like that as young teenagers, trying to discover our place in the world.
The writing is really excellent. It brings you into the scenes with emotional hooks that make the characters feel real. The world building is fun and imaginative. If you like monsters and horror tropes, then you will enjoy this book. It's never too scary or gross though. The plot is exciting and adventurous. There is a lot of comedy that keeps it light-hearted.
I enjoyed reading this one! But I wish it were a stand alone. It ends on a cliff-hanger, with some things resolved but with other plot points waiting for a resolution in the second and third books of the trilogy. I just don't know if I want to commit to a whole long thing with two more books right now. -
I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. Can a book be 100% original but also extremely derivative? This title shares a lot of similarities with the first Harry Potter book, not the least if which was the use of a mirror as a main plot conceit...
However, for some reason despite all of that I found myself flying through the book with its quaint cast of monsters... I think the only reason I did not give it 5 stars for poor entertainment was that I felt some of the dialogue was annoying and repetitive particularly from La Chupkabra (spelling), and I did not like the Guardians very much...
Just a fun read in the vein of Harry Potter but with a lot of potential for the future as well as it becomes its own series a little more so... -
Fun, fun, fun, fun book! :) Silly, inventive fantasy novel where some ordinary kids find out they are monsters when they arrive at a monster academy. Great characters and friendships, and a good message about being true to yourself.
Definitely recommended for readers who like fantasy and mild/silly humor - very middle grade friendly.
Also, if you're a parent who wants a book that is fun and funny but has a good moral about being true to yourself, this is good for you. Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote it for her kids, and I think it fills a niche nicely. -
Waw, seru dan menyenangkan! Banyak humornya juga, cocok banget buat hiburan :D
Pernah denger kalo orang tenggelam di sungai, trus rohnya diambil setan? Apa benar mereka pergi ke alam jin dan jadi budak? Jangan-jangan mereka malah pergi ke Akademi Monster?
*abaikan saja lah XD -
My 13-year-old son devoured this book and spent all day today reading the second. :) Definitely a hit for those in the magic/fantasy crowd.
Update: he just read it AGAIN in two days. :) -
I thought it was a very good book and I am looking forward to reading the next one, I would recommend it to you 7th graders.
-
Wah ga nyesal deh waktu itu beli buku ini (versi terjemahan) karena biar dapat gratis ongkir di toko oren huhu.
What a thrilling, gripping, and amazing story!
Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror aka Falcon Quinn dan Cermin Hitam, versi terjemahan yang di terbitkan oleh Ufuk yang sekarang sudah susah ditemukan dan penerbitnya pun sudah undur diri.
Langsung aja ya ga usah pakai blurb atau sinopsis wkwk.
Menurut aku, cerita novel ini seperti gabungan antara Harry Potter, Monster Inc. dan Divergent. Tetapi secara garis besar ceritanya tentang Akademi Monster, dimana anak-anak berusia 13 tahun yang terpilih dikumpulkan dan belajar menggunakan kekuatan monster atau sisi monster yang ada pada diri anak-anak terpilih tersebut. Familiar bukan?
Orang-orang bilang novel ini memiliki gaya penulisannya berbelit-belit, apalagi para reviewer luar banyak yang DNF (Do Not Finish). Sempat pesimis dong tapi akhirnya ku beli karena selain mendapatkan gratis ongkir, covernya cantik dan sinopsisnya menarik hehe.
Benar saja, sekali buka dan baca halaman pertama, novel ini menyuguhkan keseruan sampai aku terus membalik halaman demi halamannya. Hari pertama langsung dapat 200 halaman wkwk. Dan menurutku versi terjemahan ini gaya penulisannya mudah dimengerti.
Di novel ini juga terdapat 4 rumah siswa yang disebut sebagai Menara:
- Menara Penyimpangan
- Menara Ilmu Pengetahuan
- Menara Kebajikan
- Menara Jiwa
Sayangnya aku lupa menara-menara tersebut dikategorikan sebagai apa, dan siswa-siswi dengan jenis monster seperti apa yang masuk ke dalam menara-menara tersebut. Yang aku ingat hanya Falcon dkk masuk ke Menara Penyimpangan karena jenis monster mereka belum diketahui dan berbeda dari jenis monster lainnya.
Terutama Falcon. Ada yang salah dengan dirinya. Itu karena dia memiliki warna bola mata yang berbeda. Mata kanan berwarna biru cerah, mata kiri berwana hitam pekat. Dan dia tidak seperti anak lain, yang sisi monsternya langsung diketahui ketika melakukan tes.
Demi mencari jawaban tentang monster jenis apa yang ada dalam diri Falcon, bersama teman-temannya Falcon berpetualang dan menghadapi hal-hal yang membahayakan dirinya dan teman-temannya.
Sangat ku rekomendasikan bagi kalian yang:
- Suka Harry Potter, Monster Inc., Divergent
- Suka monster
- Suka petualangan
- Suka cerita berlatar Sekolah
- Suka keseruan dan ketegangan
Aku sangat ingin membaca novel lanjutannya, Falcon Quinn and the Crimson Vapor dan Falcon Quinn and the Bullies of Greenbuld. Tapi sayang versi terjemahan novel kedua sudah tidak bisa ditemukan dan novel ketiga belum ada terjemahan (keburu penerbitnya tidak beroperasi lagi).
Semoga penerbit lain bersedia untuk menerbitkan ulang trilogi Falcon Quinn ini! -
9/10
“All he knew for certain was this: that every creature on earth deserved the right to live in peace, and to follow the course of its own heart. It was a truth so obvious, so fundamental, it stunned him that neither guardians, nor monsters, nor humans seemed to be able to get their minds around it.”
This was literally my favorite book when I was in like 6th grade and after being hired for a job at a middle school, I decided to reread some of my favorites from that time period to get back in touch with what it felt like to be that age. I was so glad to see that this book held up after all these years! The writing is of course very basic, the characters maybe a little one dimensional, the plot predictable, but it’s for sure a perfect read for 9-13 yr olds. Plus I just learned that the author is trans, which is so hilarious. We really do find each other, don’t we? Maybe that’s why the themes hit me so hard even way back then.
It’s a classic “kids with powers go to a special school/school-like place to learn how to use their powers” formula, not unlike HP or Percy Jackson. In this iteration, all the kids are monsters. The book explores so many themes that are relevant to tweens and does it all so effortlessly: loneliness, loss and grief over family members leaving/dying, the pressure to conform or fit in, feeling like you don’t belong, not knowing who you are, not becoming what your parents wanted you to be, making mistakes and working to right your wrongs, and navigating friendship drama.
I love that tiny me had this book, I hope it continues to bring comfort to other tiny ones <3 -
I have so many questions and not the “oh I can’t wait to read the next book” questions. It started out strong, with intriguing characters and a curious school. The monsters have fun personalities tied to their monster type. The school is a richly described world. The conflict growing in the main character is unique but some how feels familiar. Then the conclusion left me so confused. How do they... What do their families... When will they... It’s a struggle to figure out how the school could survive in its current form for as long as they are hinting it has. Disturbingly too, when the next school term starts, some of the old problems instantly develop, just in new cliques and personality clashes. Several moments in the story were worth the read, but the overall storyline was lacking something.
-
I'm not the target audience. I'm a 30-something insomniac, not a tweenage kid trying to find myself. But I really liked this book. I picked this coverless book out of a little free library, and only because I liked the font. Yep, the font.
This book was truly enjoyable. It was well-paced, the characters were interesting, and it felt unique enough not to be compared to a certain popular "Main Character and the Blah-blah-blah" series. I appreciated the detailed descriptions of so many different types of monsters. Too often, these sorts of books introduce only a handful of species and only describe them in broad strokes. With this one, I was really able to visualize everything. I felt that the ending was a little.. cute.. but I'm looking forward to the second book in the series. -
No sooner has Falcon and two of his classmates boarded the bus to school that they find themselves forced to attend an academy for monsters, where they must learn to hide amongst humanity - but no one can figure out what Falcon is, and the mystery could spell doom for monster-kind. Boylan shoves a plethora of clichés and predictable twists into a jumbled mess of an adventure, throwing too many ideas at the reader simultaneously that will leave readers dazed and unsatisfied. Can Falcon find his place amongst his fellow monsters, or is there something darker awaiting him within the academy walls?
-
This book was one that was hard for me to put down with interesting twists and turns, but some that were a little odd and questionable to me. Overall I did enjoy it. the characters were diverse and engaging. I don't recommend buying this book without buying the sequel, you'll want it one you finish the first.
-
At first i thought that it would has a same story as Harry Potter but it turns out... WHAT THE FUCK. I wonder if megan ended up w falcon, well Johnny is a good one tho but he's not good enough for megan.
-
So much fun!!!
That book had the biggest twist I've ever read (so cool) and the book was full of surprises on every chapter.
Loved it -
I loved this book. I have already read it twice but this is my first one with Good Reads. I don't have an age groups but if you like mysteries and monsters you will love this book.
-
This book coulda been a contenda. Instead, it meandered so aimlessly that it actually became lost inside itself. There is not one clear thought in this book -- not one.
-
I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH! IT BRINGS BACK SOME HARRY POTTER VIBES WITH BOYLAN'S ORIGINALITY AND CREATIVITY
-
Escape from goodreads reviews
-
First Impression:
I'm not quite sure where I found out about this series, but I remember it being reviewed as the "next Harry Potter", something that struck me because I had had several students last year ask me what to read that was like Harry Potter. So I had to give this first book a try to see what it was all about.
While Reading:
To be honest, it was quite how Harry Potter started, well sort of. Three students get whisked away on a magical bus to a magical school. Ah, but this is a school for monsters. All students have come of age and must learn how to become a monster first and then try to become normal again in order to be integrated back into society.
But, there are a few that would rather remain monsters, than change their names, their lives and who they are inside. Falcon finds out that he is different from those at the school. He must figure out what type of life he wants to live and whose side he is really on.
I really liked a lot of the side characters. There's the subtle love interest, a girl who turns into a wind element who Falcon knew before they were transported to the Academy for Monsters, yet starts to get to know her more once there. And also is the fiesty Pearl, a sucker of goats and a hilarious small flying character who has more bravado than a troll and really is the smallest character in the book.
The plot definitely pulls you along and it's the caught between two worlds that draws you in. Will Falcon be able to overcome what he needs to though? Will he choose family over friends?
Verdict:
I really loved this first book and definitely will be buying the series for my library. Can't wait to read on about Falcon's adventures. -
Hmmmm, saya kurang sreg dengan cerita Falcon ini. Semuanya serba nanggung menurut saya. Tapi kakak saya bilang ceritanya lumayan seru. Dia bahkan berhasil menamatkan cerita ini dalam semalam. Sedangkan saya …. eh …. butuh waktu hampir seminggu, hahhah.
Karena ceritanya Falcon ini bersekolah di Akademi Monster, maka kita akan bertemu dengan berbagai macam monster di sini. Mau ketemu Frankenstein ada. Zombie ada. Vampir ada. Naga ada. Monster cumi ada. Serigala jadi-jadian ada. Beruang jadi-jadian ada. Sampai siput jadi-jadian juga ada :D
Pesan yang terkandung dalam kisah petualangan Falcon ini sebenarnya bagus, tapi ya itu tadi, tanggung menurut saya. Sayang pesan tersebut merupakan unsur kejutan dalam buku ini yang kalau saya beritahukan akan menyebabkan spoiler. Kemudian cermin hitamnya juga tidak terlalu berkesan. Betul sih gara-gara cermin ini Falcon jadi bla bla bla, tapi sekali lagi, tanggung menurut saya. Terus buku ini juga lumayan lucu, tapi lucunya juga, yah, nanggung.
Nah, kalau sudah begini saya jadi susah mau menulis apa lagi. At last, setidaknya buku ini cukup lucu. Endingnya lumayan membuat penasaran. So, 3 dari 5 bintang deh, I liked it ^_^
